Gun Violence Proclamation in Rochester Hills an “Instrument for Change and Conversation”
(Mary Dupuis, June 14, 2022)
Rochester Hills, MI – This isn’t the first year officials in Rochester Hills and others across Michigan and the nation have proclaimed June to be Gun Violence Awareness Month. But it’s an important one for the community, said Mayor Bryan Barnett.
“We’re blessed (gun violence) hasn’t hit Rochester Hills but we saw it happen in Oxford,” Barnett said. “There’s no simple solution. If there was we would’ve implemented it. Proclamations are good for making people aware of what’s happening. They’re instruments for change and conversations.”
The proclamation started as a draft by Moms Demand Action. Moms Demand Action is a nonpartisan grassroots movement that fights for implementing public safety measures to protect people from gun violence. The group works to advocate for the passing of stronger gun laws, as well as working in communities to encourage responsible gun ownership.
From there it went to the Mayor’s office to be refined and shared with Council. The proclamation centered on an intolerance for gun violence, reiterating the importance of public safety, responsible firearm ownership, and the support of law enforcement officials in their efforts to stop violence.
Michele Smyth, the local group lead of Moms Demand Action in North Oakland County, is part of encouraging proclamations in multiple cities.
Smyth said while the proclamation is just that, a proclamation, it still accomplishes something meaningful in the community.
“A lot of times, it’s just an official piece of paper,” Smyth said. “But if nothing else, it is saying something. Is it going to change the local laws immediately? No, it won’t. But at least it’s acknowledging and there’s a remembrance.”
She said that the proclamations tend to act like a door, leading to more conversations and future actions taken.
“Our legislators, sometimes I think they get so busy in their lives in the business of legislation, that for them to take a moment to recognize the humanity and how some people are suffering and still surviving is huge,” Smyth said. “This is just a small part to say ‘We recognize you’ and that really does open the door. These proclamations open the door to so many discussions.”
Smyth is especially active in these door-opening conversations due to her experiences as a kindergarten and first grade teacher.
“I’m the first teacher that five year olds have that teach them how to hide and what to do when there’s an active shooter,” Smyth said. “I’ve had kids shake and cry even though we discussed that this is just pretend like we pretend for fire drills.”
Smyth said the children are taught to huddle close and be silent, and in some cases use their wooden building blocks to fight back. However, it is emphasized that they must listen to the teacher above all else due to split-second decisions that may need to be made.
Another group that collaborates with Moms Demand Action to spread the word on the importance of gun violence awareness and gun safety in Oakland County and across Michigan is the Be Smart Program.
Skye Thietten, the state lead for the program, described the program as being the educational wing under the larger umbrella of the nonprofit program Everytown advocating for gun safety.
The Be Smart program is a nonprofit national education campaign created to bring together concerned adults, parents, caregivers, etc. to spread the word about gun safety for children. It aims to provide statistics and information on the essential need for safe gun storage in homes and vehicles.
“We’re very neutral to gun ownership,” Thietten said. “It does not endorse nor does it condemn gun ownership in any way, shape or form. We just talk about the essential need to lock up your firearm. And by locking up we mean storing the firearm locked either with a cable lock or in a safe and the firearm itself being unloaded and with ammunition stored and locked separately.”
Thietten said the program works with local leaders and groups to deliver educational presentations on the safe storage of firearms. She is also a member of Moms Demand Action in Oakland County.
“As adults, it’s our responsibility to protect our children at all times, including from firearms, and it’s a very simple thing to do,” Thietten said.
Both Smyth and Thietten emphasized the importance of continuing the conversation around gun safety past the proclamation.
Smyth recommended calling legislators and demanding change and Thietten suggested advocating for the importance of gun safety to parents who own firearms.
“If we start local, then we keep (the conversation) going,” Smyth said. “The ultimate goal would be for at the federal level, to have universal background checks, universal storage requirements and red flag laws…There’s definitely time to honor the victims and honor the survivors. But now it’s time to act because these things aren’t stopping. Nothing has stopped.”
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